Refrigerator cabinet load supporting shelf and mounting therefor



July 31, 1 F. B. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR CABINET LOAD SUPPORTING SHELF AND MOUNTING THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 31, 1953 y 1, 1956 F B. ANDERSON 2,7

REFRIGERATOR CABINET LOAD SUPPORTING SHELF AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed Aug. 51, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l6 3 l ea 37 3d' 3' L I l 6 a 8 /l i :El% 5 i 80 4 f 6338 a? /d' k 27 3d 6 a? 3J- g 86 I a; 38 a 32 1 5, I ea J 24 r 1 j ,3 III IN VEN TOR. F4 o/ei/vrz a. nlvazzesow ar I W wlamywf M4 REFRIGERATOR CABINET LOAD SUPPORTING SHELF AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Application August 31, 1953, Serial No. 377,335

6 Claims. (Cl. 312-313) This invention relates generally to refrigerator cabinets and refers more particularly to an improved load supporting shelf structure for refrigerator cabinets.

It is an object of this invention to provide a refrigerator cabinet with a loading shelf supported for movement from an upright or vertical position at the rear side of the plane of the access opening in the cabinet to a horizontal load supporting position wherein the shelf extends for.- wardly through the access opening. The arrangement is such that when the shelf is in its vertical position it does not interfere with normal operation of the door for the access opening and when in its horizontal position serves as a platform on which articles may be temporarily supported on the shelf while the cabinet is being loaded or unloaded.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple inexpensive mounting for hingedly supporting the loading shelf on the cabinet and for holding said shelf in its horizontal load carrying position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide mount ing means for the load supporting shelf rendering it possible to quickly remove the shelf from and/ or attach the shelf to the cabinet.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet equipped with a load supporting shelf embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the construction shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a mounting for the shelf; 3 A

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line '55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 -6 of Figure 2 and showing the shelf in its vertical position;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of mounting for the shelf; 7

Figure 8 is 'a front elevational view partly in section of the mounting shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mounting showing the shelf in its vertical position.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, a refrigerator cabinet of the upright home freezer type is illustrated, although it will be apparent as this description proceeds that the present invention is also applicable to other types of refrigerator cabinets. As illustrated, the front wall of the cabinet shown in Figure 1 has an access opening 10 which extends for substantially the full width and height of the cabinet, and is normally closed by a door 11 having one verticaledge thereof suitably hingedly supported on the adjacent side wall of the cabinet. As is hired States Patent 2,757,061 Patented July 31, 1956 2 usually the case, the interior of the cabinet is divided into vertically spaced compartments by shelves or partitions 12 located within the cabinet and secured to adjacent walls of the cabinet in any suitable manner.

The load supporting shelf structure shown in Figures 1-6 inclusive of the drawings is designated generally by the reference numeral 13 and is mounted on the partition 14 which-is located within the cabinet at an elevation convenient to the user. In the present instance, the partition 14 is turned downwardly at the front edge to provide a flange 15 and is then turned rearwardly to provide an attaching flange 16. The depending flange 15 at the front edge of the partition 14 conceals the cooling coils 17 which, in a home freezer type of cabinet, are suitably secured to the undersides of the partitions 12. If desired, a trim strip 18, substantially channel-shaped in cross section, may be extended along the front flange 15 of the partition 14 and secured thereto.

The load supporting shelf structure comprises a wire shelf 19 and a mounting 20 therefor. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the shelf 19 has a rectangular wire border frame 21 and has laterally spaced wire strands 22 connecting the front and rear bars of the frame 21. The mounting 20 for the shelf 19 comprises two brackets 23 and a pair of hangers 24. The brackets 23 are secured to the underside of the partition 14 in spaced relationship lengthwise of the front edge of the partition 14, and the hangers 24 are secured to the shelf 19.

As shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, each bracket 23 has a bottom wall 25 spaced below the partition 14 and turned upwardly at the rear edge to provide a rear wall 26. The rear wall 26 is turned laterally rearwardly at the upper edge to form a flange 27 which abuts the bottom surface of the partition 14. The front portion of the bottom wall 25 of each bracket is turned upwardly to provide a front wall 28 and is then turned laterally rearwardly to provide a flange 29. The flange 29 abuts the adjacent flange on the channel-shaped trim strip 18 and has attaching cars 30 at each end. The ear s 34) on the brackets 23 are clamped against the trim strip 18 by screws or fastener elements '31 which extend through openings in the adjacent flange of the trim strip 18 and in the flange 16 on the partition '14. The front wall 28 :of each bracket 23 is fashioned with a slot 32 elongated in the direction of length of the wall 28 and having the bottom edge spaced above the bottom wall 25 of the bracket. The bottom wall 25 of each bracket is also formed with a slot 33 which extends rearwardly from the front wall 28 and opens into the slot 32 bya vertically extending slot 34 in the front wall 28. The slots 33 and 34 in the respectivebrackets 23 are located substantially midway between opposite ends of the slots 32 for reasons to be more fully hereinafter described. M

The rear wall 26 of eachbracket 23 is stamped or otherwise fashioned to, provide projections or cars 35. The projections 35 are spaced from each other in the direction of length of the respective walls 26 ,of the brackets 23 and the bottom edges of the projections 35 are spaced above the base portions 25 of the brackets.

The hangers 24 are shown in Figure 2 as having parts 36 which extend between the front and rear bars of the wire frame21 and are secured thereto. The rear ends of the parts 36'are oifset'laterally in directions toward one another and are then extended. rearwardly to provide parts 37 which are substantiallyparallel to the parts 136. The rear ends of the parts 3 7 are turned laterally outwardly to provide pintles 3,8.

The length of the pintles .33 is less than the length of the slots 32 in the respective brackets 23 and the lateral spacing of the hangers 24 is such that the pintles "38 maybe readily inserted rearwardly through the slots 32 in the respective brackets 23. The slots 34 in the respective brackets 23 are of suflicient width to freely receive the adjacent portions of the hangers 24 and thereby enable seating the pintles as on the bottom walls 25 of the respective brackets 23. Also, the slots 33 are of sufficient dimension to freely receive the adjacent portions of the respective hangers 24 when the shelf 19 is in its vertical position shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. When the shelf 19 is in its vertical position aforesaid, the pintles 38 have a rolling contact with the adjacent surfaces of the bottom and front walls of the respective brackets 23 enabling the shelf to be swung from its vertical position shown in Figure 6 of the drawings to its horizontal position shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.

In addition to the foregoing, it Will be noted that the pintles 38 also have a sliding engagement with the bottom walls 25 of the respective brackets 23 enabling the shelf 19 to be shifted rearwardly relative to the brackets 23 when the shelf is in its horizontal position. Rearward movement of the shelf relative to the brackets 23 enables positioning the pintles 38 beneath the projections 35 on the respective brackets. Also in this position the parts 37 of the hangers 24 respectively engage the bottom walls 25 of the brackets 23 adjacent the front walls 28 and, as a result, the shelf 19 is firmly supported in its horizontal position shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. Thus, it is apparent that the shelf 19 may be quickly moved between its vertical and horizontal positions and locked in the latter position by a simple manipulation of the shelf. It will also be noted that the shelf 19 may be readily removed from the brackets by merely lifting the shelf while in its vertical position to register the pintles 38 with. the adjacent slots 32, and thereafter withdrawing the pintles 38 through the slots 32 in the respective brackets 23.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 7-10 inclusive differs principally from the first described form of the invention in the manner in which the shelf is held in its horizontal position. More particularly, the rear wall 26 of each bracket 23 is offset in a forward direction to provide a shoulder 41 and the flange 29 extending rearwardly from the front wall 28 of each bracket has a rearward extension 43 arranged in abutting engagement with the shoulder 41. The extensions 43 on the respective brackets 23 serve to guide the pintles 38 to positions beneath the shoulders 41 upon rearward shifting movement of the shelf 19. Thus, the shoulders 41 act in the same manner as the projections 35 to hold the shelf 19 in its operative or horizontal position with respect to the partition 14. With the above exceptions, the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 7-10 inclusive is the same as the first described form of the invention and, hence, the same reference numerals are used to designate corresponding parts.

In both embodiments of the invention, the shelf is mounted in such a manner that when swung to its horizontal or operative position it projects through the access opening to the front wall of the cabinet and provides a convenient platform on which articles may be temporarily supported while the interior of the cabinet is being loaded or unloaded. Moreover, both embodiments of the invention render it possible to readily swing the loading shelf 19 to a vertical position within the confines of the cabinet where it does not interfere with normal operation of the door. In addition, both embodiments of the invention render it possible to quickly assemble the shelf 19 with and remove the same from the partition 14 when desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Structure of the character described comprising a shelf having at its rear edge rearwardly extending arms having laterally extending pintle portions at their rear ends, brackets each comprising a bottom wall on which the rear end portions of said arms engage and a front wall, said walls having an opening thclj iu extending to the bottom edge of the front wall and rearwardly in the bottom wall a short distance from the front edge thereof, said brackets each comprising a forwardly extending projection spaced above said bottom wall adjacent the rear edge thereof to receive one of said pintle portions to hold said shelf horizontal, said shelf being movable forwardly to a position in which said pintle portions are adjacent the inner surfaces of the front walls of said brackets and said arms extend downwardly through the portions of the openings in the bottom walls of the brackets.

2. Structure as defined in claim 1 in which the openings in the front walls of said brackets include laterally extending portions spaced upwardly from the bottom walls to provide for removal of said shelf by raising said pintle portions into registration therewith.

3. A loading shelf for a refrigerator cabinet structure having a front wall provided with an access opening and having a horizontal partition supported therein opposite the access opening, and a door for the access opening hingedly mounted on the cabinet, said loading shelf being supported adjacent the front edge of the partition and depending therefrom in a vertical plane substantially parallel to the plane of the access opening and spaced rearwardly from the access opening sufiiciently to enable closing of the door without interference from the loading shelf, hinge means pivotally mounting the loading shelf on the cabinet structure permitting swinging movement of the loading shelf in a forward direction from the vertical position aforesaid to a horizontal article supporting position at the front side of the partition, and releasable means for holding said shelf in said horizontal article supporting position, said shelf being pivotally mounted on the partition and slidable rearwardly relative to the partition, when in its horizontal position, the releasable means comprising a first part carried by the partition and a second part carried by the loading shelf movable into abutting engagement with the underside of the first part upon sliding the loading shelf rearwardly relative to said partition.

4. A loading shelf for a refrigerator cabinet structure having a front wall provided with an access opening and having a horizontal partition supported therein opposite the access opening, and a door for the access opening hingedly mounted on the cabinet, said loading shelf being supported adjacent the front edge of the partition and depending therefrom in a vertical plane substantially parallel to the plane of the access opening and spaced rearwardly from the access opening sufficiently to enable closing of the door without interference from the loading shelf, hinge means pivotally mounting the loading shelf on the cabinet structure permitting swinging movement of the loading shelf in a forward direction from the vertical position aforesaid to a horizontal article supporting position at the front side of the partition, and releasable means for holding said shelf in said horizontal article supporting position, said hinge means comprising cooperating parts respectively carried by the partition and loading shelf, said parts being rotatably engageable with one another to permit swinging movement of the loading shelf relative to the partition, the part on the shelf and the part on the partition having disengageable portions to provide for complete removal of said shelf, the hinge part on the shelf being also slidable relative to the part on the partition permitting shifting movement of the shelf in directions toward and away from the partition, the releasable holding means comprising an abutment carried by the partition in a position to engage the hinge part on the shelf upon shifting movement of the shelf in a direction toward the partition to hold said shelf in the horizontal position aforesaid.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 wherein the abutment comprises a projection on the hinge part carried by the partition and positioned to overlie the hinge part carried by the shelf upon shifting movement of the shelf in a direction toward the partition.

6. A loading shelf for a nfrigerator cabinet having a front wall provided with an access opening, a door for the access opening hingedly mounted on the cabinet, and a horizontal partition supported within the cabinet opposite the access opening, said loading shelf being supported in a vertical plane substantially parallel to the plane of the access opening and spaced rearwardly from the access opening sufiiciently to enable closing of the door without interference from the loading shelf, a hinge retainer part mounted on the underside of the partition adjacent the front edge thereof, said retainer part having a bottom wall spaced below the shelf and having an upwardly extending front wall, and a hanger for the shelf provided with a pintle having a rolling contact with the top surface of the bottom wall of the retainer part adjacent said front wall to permit swinging of the shelf to a generally horizontal position, the bottom and front walls of the retainer part having connecting slots providing clearance for the hanger, the slot in the front wall having a dimension sufiicient to receive the pintle, the

pintle also slidably engaging the bottom wall of the retainer part permitting shifting movement of the shelf to- Ward the partition when said shelf is in the horizontal position aforesaid, and an abutment on the retainer part positioned to overlie the pintle in the rearwardmost position of the shelf and thereby to hold said shelf in said horizontal position relative to the partition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

